Collar stay



Oct. 28, 1952 w. M. SARFF 2,615,167

COLLAR STAY Filed Jan. 17, 1951 I6 9 I7 I I ,7 k'rrn M Sarf'f' Patented oct. 28, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COLLAR STAY Warren M. Sarff, Kirkwood, Mo. Application January 17, 1951, Serial No. 206,379

6 Claims.

This invention relates to collar stays; and it comprises a collar stay having a base of stiffening material of the same general shape as the front end of a soft collar with its forward edges running substantially parallel, with the corresponding edges of the collar and tapering to a blunt rounded point, a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive on one side of the base adapted to be adhered to the inside of a soft collar and a metal wire secured to the other side of the base, said wire being mounted with its forward end aligned with the blunt point of the base and, when applied to the collar, adapted to be extended beyond said blunt point and inserted into the seam at the tip of the collar in order to stiffen said tip; all as more fully hereinafter set forth and as claimed.

Soft collars are universally used for their comfort. When starched to exactly the right stiffness they retain their shape and neat appearance without wilting and wrinkling even after several days of wear during cool weather. But laundries invariably use too little starch which causes such collars to wilt and wrinkle to such an extent that during warm weather they lose their appearance within a matter of hours. In order to overcome these difficulties many suggestions have been made to employ auxiliary stiffening means to support soft collars. Most of these require special collars provided with pockets to receive stiffening elements. Wire stays of various shapes have also been suggested. In spite of these numerous suggestions it appears that no collar stays are at present offered on the market. At least I have found it impossible to purchase such a stay. I believe that the cause for the lack of collar stays on the market is that no entirely suitable inexpensive collar stay has been developed which is capable of supporting the front end of the collar to prevent it from wilting while also preventing the tip of the collar from curling up or wrinkling.

I have discovered a simple construction for a collar stay which performs both functions satisfactorily. In this stay a flexible base of stiffening material, usually a plastic, such as Celluloid, is provided which has the same general shape as the front of a collar but tapers at its forward end to a rounded point. This base has a layer of a pressure-sensitive adhesive on one side so that it can be applied to the inside of a collar opposite the neck band merely by pressing it against the collar. It should be applied, of course, before the shirt is put on. Ihe other side of the stay is provided with a wire which is aligned with the blunt point of the stay and the forward end of which is adapted to be inserted into the seam at the tip of the collar. in order to hold this tip in position. The wire may be secured to the base in fixed position, in which case the tip of the wire should be inserted into the tip of the collar before the base is adhered to the collar, or the wire may be adjustably secured to the collar in which case the base can be adhered to the collar and then the wire adjusted for proper length as it is being inserted into the tip of the collar. Of course the wire in this embodiment can be adjusted for proper length and inserted into the tip of the collar before the base of the stay is adhered to the collar, if desired. A single adjustment is usually all that is required since most men have a preferred style of collar; hence a single setting will usually fit all their shirts. The adjustable wire is an advantage in that it adapts the collar stay to fit collars of widely different shape.

My collar stays are preferably marketed with a sheet of buckram or the like covering the pressure-sensitive adhesive, in a manner similar to the popular adhesive tape bandages. This protects the adhesive and prevents the latter from adhering to extraneous objects. A single sheet of buckram can carry several of the stays if de-- sired.

I have found surprisingly that it is possible to transfer a stay from one shirt collar to another several different times without renewing the adhesive. In one test I applied a stay to a piece of cloth, removed it and applied it to another spot, repeating this '75 times. The adhesive by this time had become somewhat dirty but was still sufficiently adherent to be usable. Of course my stays are so inexpensive that most users would prefer to use a new stay with each fresh collar but, since the stays have to be removed before the collars are washed, it is convenient to remove it from one collar and then apply it directly to another. I have worn a single stay in this manner for a period of several months.

My invention can be explained in greater detail by reference to the accompanying drawing which shows, more or less diagrammatically, several embodiments of my collar stay. In this showing,

Fig. 1 is an elevation of one form of my collar stay showing it in position secured to the forward end of the inside of a soft folding collar, the neck band being broken away to show details.

Fig. 2 is a top edge or plan view of the same stay with collar removed on an enlarged scale aci ic) 3 and with the thicknesses of the plies exaggerated to show details,

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a modification in which the point of the stay is adjustable,

Fig. 4 is a plan view similar to that of Fig. 2 of the modification of Fig. 3 with collar removed,

Fig. is an elevation of another modification in which the stay is mounted on a buckram backing and the wire point is adjustable, while Fig. 6 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of the modification of Fig. 5.

In the various views like parts are designated by the same reference numerals. In Figs. 1 and 3 the stays, shown generally at I, are attached to the inside of a conventional soft collar 2 close to the tip or corner 3, the collar band being broken away. In Figs. 5 and 6 thestay is adhesively attached to a peelable backing 4 of buckram or the like from which it is removed before it is attached to the collar.

' The stay in each of the modifications is formed with a base 5, usually made of a stiff but flexible sheet of plastic, such as Celluloid, cellophane, cellulose acetate or the like. This is adhered to the collar by a layer ll of pressure-sensitive adhesive. The pressure sensitive adhesive may be applied directly to the plastic sheet, as in the embodiments of Figs. 3 to 6, or as shown in Fig. 2 a conventional pressure-sensitive tape [5 with a pressure-sensitive adhesive H applied to one face thereof can be used, this tape being adhered by its back to the plastic sheet by a film M of water-resistant adhesive. This two-ply construction eliminates the necessity of applying a pressure-sensitive adhesive directly to the plastic sheet.

The plastic sheet in all modifications should have sufiicient stiffness to hold the forward end of the collar in shape but it should be sumciently flexible to bend readily without causing discomfort. It is formed generally in the shape'of the forward end of the collar to which it is to be attached, the front edge 6 and the lower edge 1 being roughly parallel with the corresponding edges of the collar, but tapering to a blunt point 8 which stops short of the point or tip 3 of the collar.

The distance between the point of the stay and the tip of the collar may range from about A; to 1 inch depending upon the sharpness of the collar point. I have found it impractical to extend the point of the plastic to the point of the collar since the plastic point then tends to separate from the collar. In other words the point of the plastic must be rounded to adhere satisfactorily. The point of the collar must of course be stiffened if the stay is to be effective. I have overcome these dimculties by providing a wire 9 whose point E0 is adapted to be inserted into the seam [2 at the tip of the collar. This wire may be secured to the body of the stay in any of several different ways.

The simplest way is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2,

where the upper end of the wire is looped and secured to the plastic body by a spot of adhesive I3; A'cellulose nitrate or other water-resistant adhesive is suitable for this purpose. The wire in this modification is not adjustable to collars of different shapes but this in many cases is not objectionable since many users of collar stays wear shirts all of which have collars of the same general style and shape. I

My stay can also be made with'an adjustable wire point as shown in the modifications of Figs. 3 to 6. In the modification of Figs. 3'and lthe wire 9 is secured to the plastic sheet 5 by means of a strip of adhesive tape [6 which is roughly aligned with the tip of the collar. The wire is threaded through the adhesive tape at I! near its forward end and is provided with a loop or ofiset portion I8 near its rear end which can be used as a finger hold when the wire is to be adjusted. The rear end [9 of the wire is adapted to be inserted into any one of a series of spaced holes 20 in the adhesive tape and when in this position the wire cannot be moved rearwardly owing to the fact that the loop l8 presses against the hole in the adhesive tape.

In order to make the required adjustment, the stay is pressed on the collar in proper position with the adhesive strip aligned with the tip of the collar, the wire point is then extended and pressed into the seam at the tip of the collar and finally the rear point 19 0f the wire is inserted into the nearest hole 20. The wire should be made of a spring metal such as steel, brass or bronze and may be quite fine, such as about 20 to 26 gauge.

Another adjustable wire point is shown in Figs. 5 and 6. In this embodiment a strip of adhesive tape 3 is employed as in Figs. 3 and l and the wire is threaded through the strip at one or more points 17. The rear end of the wire is provided with a loop 22 and this, after the stay has been applied and the point of the wire inserted in the tip of the collar, may be adhered to the adhesive strip by a separate peelable disc 2! of adhesive tape. The strips l6 shown in Figs. 3 to 6 serve as means to hold the wire to the stay in adjustable position.

Figs. 5 and 6 show how my stays are usually marketed, namely with peelable backing 4 of buckram or the like to protect the pressuresensitive adhesive. The buckram is, of course, removed before the stay is applied to a collar.

While I have described what I consider to be the best embodiments of my collar stay it is evident, of course, that various modifications can be made in the specific structures which have been described without departing from the purview of this invention. Thus, while I have described my stay as being formed with a base sheet of plastic, it is evident, of course, that this base can be made of any material which is both stiff and flexible and which does not lose its stifiness when exposed to moisture and moderate temperatures. It is possible to make the base of a plurality of layers of stiffening material, such as buckram or the like adhered with a waterresistant cement, for example. In the case of the stay of Figs. 1 and 2 it is possible to market these in several different sizes, that is, with wire points of different lengths, so that they will fit collars having tips of different lengths. Other modifications of my stay which fall within the scope of the following claims will be immediately evident to those skilled in this art.

What I claim is:

l. A collar stay which comprises a base of stiffening material having a general shape corresponding to the front end of a soft folding collar with its forward edges running substantially parallel with the corresponding edges of the collar and tapering to a blunt rounded point, a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive on one side of said base, wire-holding means adhered to the base on the side opposite the layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive and a wire threaded through said wireholdingmeans, said wire being held adjustably by said'holding means with its forward end aligned 5 with the blunt point of the base and, when applied to a collar being adapted to be inserted into the seam at the tip of the collar in order to stifien said tip, the rounded point of the base being spaced from the tip of the collar.

2. The collar stay of claim 1 wherein said wire is secured to said base by an adhesive tape adhered to the base and through which the wire is threaded.

3. The collar stay of claim 1 wherein said wire has a loop at its rear end and is secured to said base by a strip of adhesive tape adhered to said base over the wire loop.

4. The collar stay of claim 1 wherein said wire is secured to said base by being threaded through a strip of adhesive tape adhered to said base, said adhesive tape being provided with a series of spaced holes aligned with said wire, said wire having an off-set portion at its rear to serve as a finger grip, the rear tip of the wire being adapted to engage any one of said spaced holes,

whereby the length of the wire can be adjusted.

5. The collar stay of claim 1 wherein the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive is on an adhesive tape the back of which is adhered to said base with a water-resistant adhesive.

6. The collar stay of claim 1 mounted with the pressure-sensitive adhesive adhered to a peelable sheet of buckram for protection purposes.

WARREN M. SARFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Brenessel Nov. 6, 1928 Levenson Dec. 24, 1929 Vaccarella Apr. 3, 1945 Carlisle May 30, 1950 Number 

